Packaging of tobacco products



J'. E. WILLIAMSON, F. POPKEN AND'A. G. VALE. PACKAGING OF TOBACCOPRODUCTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. I917.

1 ,347, 5 3O Patented July 27, 1920..

/ 2 INlfENTORi 070'! g. B) THEIR ATTORNEYS,

' 1'! ite O n, Jiarz detainer of the sealed wrapped type.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WILLIAMSON, OF YONKERS, AND HARRY F. POPKEN AND ALFRED G. VALE, OFNEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, A CORPORA- 'lIONOF NEW JERSEY.

PACKAGING 0]? TOBACCO PRODUCTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1917.. Serial No. 168,913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JoI-IN E. VVILLIAM- soN, HARRY F. .POPKEN, andALFRED Gr. VAL-n, all citizens of the United States, residing,respectively, at Yonkers, New York, and New York, in the counties oflVestchester and New York and State of New York, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Packaging of Tobacco Products, of which thefollowing is a specification.

' This invention relatesto. improvements in the packaging of tobaccoproducts, pertaining more particularly to the production of packages ofthe sealed wrapped type.

As is well-known, tobacco products, are affected to a more or lessextent by air and moisture conditions which tend to vary some of theoriginal characteristics of the tobacco, especially as respects aroma,flavor, moisture, etc. Deterioration of the product, due to thesechanges in characteristics results from continued exposure, of theprodnot to these conditions for a considerable length of time, the shortperiod generally required in retailing the contents of a package notmaterially affecting this condition. However, the length of time whichmay elapse between the time of packaging by the manufacturer and thetime when the package is opened by the dealer, may extend over aconsiderable period, so that unless precaution is had, deterioration'ofstock in the hands of the dealer might result, so that the dealer isless liable to carry a suflicient stock on hand owing to possibility ofdecrease in the value of the product.

The effect of these conditions can be practically avoided by employingan air and moisture proof container for the product, and this effect canbe produced by a con- However, containers of this type, as known to us,are more or less expensive inmanufacture, and require considerablemanipulation in producing the sealed condition as well as when thepackage is being opened. Since increase in cost of container and thecost of manipulating the container in packaging necessarily affects themargin of profit of the manufacturer, the question of cost is ofconsiderable importance'in producing a package for this purpose.

The present invention is designed to meet these conditions by theproduction of a container from a simple form of blank, which blank canbe readily shaped into the container form, the container having aconfiguration which will enable the sealed wrapped condition to beprovided by the application of a strip-which may form the label for thepackagethe completed package being of a form which canbe readily openedbut which will be practically air and moisture proof prior to the timewhen vending of the contents of the package begins.

While the invention is designed more particularly for use in connectionwith the packaging of tobacco products, it is applicable for other usesand the right to employ it for such other uses is reserved herein.

.To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understoodas the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said inven tion consists inthe blank, the sealed wrapped container, and the method of pro ducingthe package, all as hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference charactersindicate similar parts in each of the views Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a completed package.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one form of container blank which may beemployed for the purpose.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the package of Fig. 1 opened, thecontents having been removed.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44t of Fig. 1.

' A preferred embodiment of the blank from which the container is formedis shown 'in'Fig. 2 wherein the dotted lines represent Patented July 27,1920.

7 of the container to be closed by the top flaps 13, these flaps havinga combined width sufficient to substantially cover the open top, apreferred arrangement being to provide an overlapping ofthese flaps, asindicated in Fig. 4, although it will be understood that the flaps neednot overlap but may be in abutting relation or may have a combined widthslightly less than the width of the open top providing a narrow spacebet-ween the opposing edges. It should also be noted that while we haveshown the top flaps as of substantially equal width, this may be variedif desired, it being desirable, however, that two flaps be employed inorder that the joint between the flaps may be spaced from the plane of aside wall, thus taking the joint away from the side of the package.

After the open container has been filled with the commoditypackages ofcigarettes for instanceflaps 12", if employed, are folded inwardly on tothe top of the contents, and the top flaps folded down, after which alabel 14 is applied to the opposite ends and the top, it being securedto one end, brought across the top and down over the other end. i

As will be obvious, the label may contain suitable indications, as forinstance. advertising or designating matter, in which case theportion ofthe label extending over the ends may have the form of a distinguishingend label, while that portion extendin over the top may carry adifferent form of advertising matter, the entire label being in stripform. The width of the label may equal that of the container or it maybe less than such width, it being preferable. however. to provide awidth sufi'icient to extend some distance on opposite sides of the topflap joint.

As will be seen. when the label has been applied, practically nocrevices for the passage of air or moisture remain. the body of thecontainer being so formed as to close the crevices in the body portion.while the label covers those points where the closing of thetop flapsmay leave crevices. Consequently the package, produced from thecontainer blank and the label applied in this manner, complete thesealed wrapped package which will preserve the original characteristicsso long as the package remains sealed.

When it is desired to open the package it is necessary only to rupturethe wrapper lengthwise of the top along the joint of the readily raised,7 the raising movement rupturing thesingle thickness of the label whichoverlies the corner of the end and top flaps. V

' As heretofore indicated, the flaps 12 may be omitted if desired. V

As will be seen, the sealed wrapped packagemay be produced in anexceedingly that the sealing and labeling-of the package may be providedby the same operation.

While we have shown oneor more ways in which the general invention maybe carried out, it will. be understood that changes and modificationstherein may be found necessary or desirable to meet thevariousexigencies of use, and we desire tobe understood as reserving'the rightto make any and all such changes and modifications in so far as thesamemay fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressedin the accompanying claims, it also being understood that while theinvention is especially designed for the particular use above indicated,it is not limited'to this field and may be employed in 7 connection withthe packaging of other commodities. f V r As shown in Fig. 2 we prefer,where flaps 12 are employed, that these flaps be more or less tapered,-the slot between top flap 13 and flap .12? being preferably tapered} Asindicated in Fig. 8, this arrangement tends to reduce liability of flapsl2 beingsubjected to pressure of the side walls when the package isclosed.

Having thus, described our invention, what We claim as new, is

1. A box-like container having a bottom, parallel side walls andparallel end walls in substantially continuous contact with each otheralong their meeting edges to form a of a pair of oppositely foldableflaps united with the side walls but normally free from.

'hesively attached to both flaps and to the ends of the container, saidsealing strip being of substantially the width of the top of thecontainer and substantially sealing the connections between the topflaps and between said flaps and the ends of the c0ntainer, theconstruction being such that the ends and one longitudinal edge of saidflaps form guide means along which the strip may be readily ruptured.

2. A boX-like container having sides, ends and bottom sealed togetheralong their meeting edges, a cover therefor comprising a pair ofoppositely foldable flaps united with the side walls but normally freefrom each other and from the end walls, and adapted when in closedposition to have their free longitudinal edge portions parallel to andintermediate the side walls of the container, and

a sealing strip overlying the longitudinal edges of the top flaps andextending across both ends of said flaps onto the ends of the bodyportion to seal the flaps to each other and to said container ends, thesealing strip being of substantially the width of the top of thecontainer and substantially sealing the connections between the topflaps and between said flaps and the ends of the container. I

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN E. WILLIAMSON.

HARRY F. POPKEN.

ALFRED Gr. VALE.

